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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. season — of the year
  5. row — a line
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bass — the fish
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bass — low music
  10. cue — a hint
  11. swing — music
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cue — for pool
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. swing — in golf
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. game — a match
  24. cue — a signal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com